Looking back at the path that took her from Santa Cruz to Boston to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, violinist Kaethe Hostetter sees opportunities seized and creative gambits that hit pay dirt.

Most of us don’t think of music as a science. Mulatu Astatke, the Ethiopian vibraphonist who created the style known as “Ethio-jazz,” says he’s never thought of his invention as anything else. “I’ve ...

Kay Kaufman Shelemay received fellowships and grants for the research and publication process for this book from the National Endowment for the Humanities; the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial ...